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Phone tapping case: Truant cop delays US return

Hyderabad: Former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao, prime accused in the phone-tapping case who is presently in the US, was reportedly being dissuaded from appearing before the special investigation team probing the snooping operation of the BRS era.

It was learnt that Prabhakar Rao was contacted by family members of snoopgate-accused officials N. Bhujanga Rao, Radha Kishan Rao, D. Praneeth Rao, M. Tirupatanna and G. Venugopal, on March 25 and 26 and asked to return and face the probe team. They also met Prabhakar Rao’s family members in the city.

Prabhakar Rao initially told the investigation team that he was getting treated for cancer and would be returning June or July. However, he later said he had advanced his return to April 2. At this stage, some politicians reportedly asked him to delay his return.

Reacting to this, TPCC vice-president G. Niranjan Reddy said that Prabhakar Rao reportedly delaying his return pointed to strong pressure from BRS top leaders. The entire phone-tapping operation was done with the concert with top BRS leaders who were aware that Prabhakar Rao’s confession would land them in trouble.

If Prabhakar Rao was reluctant to return, the police should issue a look-out circular against him, Niranjan said. “We are sure that Prabhakar Rao's statement will create a sensation,” he added.

Meanwhile police constable Janakiram Prabhakar, a benami of some police officers accused in the phone tapping operation, reportedly confessed that he worked with Praneeth Rao in the special operations team war room of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIb) in Nalgonda district during which he along with other accused reportedly backmailed 40 women after tapping their phones. He claimed they were involved in land settlements with the mafia, sources said.

Constable Prabhakar had been suspended by the then district SP for alleged extortion and blackmail; these incidents were not connected to the phone-tapping operations.


( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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